Population

-more than 245 mil. inhabitants
-75 % - in cities, most of urban centres lie along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. Most populous- northeast
-1990 – census - largest city- New York – 7 mil. inhabitants
- fast growing cities – San Diego, San Jose, Jacksonville, California, San Antonio

Ethnic groups

-until 1860 - majority of population – WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant)
-1860 -1920 – almost 30 mil. immigrants arrived from Europe / Italy, Russia, Poland, Hungary/ They formed their own culturally homogenous neighbourhoods
-black people – 12% of the population, bottom of economic and education table, higher unemployment than whites – result of racism
-Hispanic – the most rapidly growing ethnic group, 7% of Americans, Spanish language, lower economic and education level
-Oriental Americans – in California, 7 mil., from Japan, China, the Philippines

Weather and climate

-every type of climate- from artic (Alaska) to subtropical (Florida)
-most of country – humid continental climate – hot summers, cold winters
-lack of natural barriers - cold, dry air can flow from Canada
- warm, humid air from Gulf of Mexico
- the Great Plains- hottest, most arid region of USA, precipitation- only summer showers (less than 250mm/year)
- the Pacific coast - summer – rainless, foggy
- winter – frequent drizzle, but climate remains generally warm, dry (especially in California)
- eastern part – rainy, precipitation fairly distributed throughout the year